Some people may think it is crazy to hold out hope that John McCain can be defeated. I liken it to the NFL when a much maligned 7-4 team had little hope of getting to the Superbowl in early December 2007. But they pulled off a few wins on the road at the end of the year and the mediocre team suddenly had a wild card spot. From there it was just four wins to the Superbowl championship against the only 18-0 undefeated team in NFL history.

If Huckabee wins Texas, then he suddenly becomes the New York Giants of the world of politics. Texas wins him a wild card spot. Indiana, Oregon and New Mexico are his playoff games and the Republican Convention is his Superbowl.

I thought that in order for Mike Huckabee to have continued his unlikely march toward destiny yesterday, he needed at least an upset win in Virginia. But as soon as he lost in single digits, the news pundits were already saying it proved that John McCain is “not conservative enough” for most Republican voters.

Here was my hopeful prediction on how Huckabee could have pulled out a win:

Huckabee—44
McCain—43
Paul—8
Other—5

And here was the final vote:

McCain—51
Hucakabee—40
Paul—5
other—4

So while Virginia dampens the hope for a brokered convention, Huckabee still finished three points better than the most favorable poll predicted.

So is it all over? There is still a possibility for a brokered convention. Since Huckabee lost Virginia and Maryland, he just has to pick up wins in two or three states with an equal amount of delegates. Wisconsin, Indiana, Oregon, New Mexico are possibilities. A recent poll shows Huckabee within striking distance of upsetting McCain in Wisconsin.

McCain—48
Huckabee—37
Paul —7

A couple of factors weigh toward Huckabee’s favor:

1. Low voter turn-out due to a lessening enthusiasm for McCain. The thought that he has it “wrapped up” actually works in Huckabee’s favor. The Clinton-Obama drama drew close to three times the number of voters in Virginia. Look for this to continue in open primary states. The “Anybody-But-Hillary” Republicans are crossing over to vote for Obama. McCain loses votes each time the attention swings to Obama vs Hillary.

2. Ron Paul has suspended his campaign in order to seek re-election as a Texas representative. But Paul’s supporters are tenacious and he still will pull in some votes. It is possible that the “Anybody But McCain” coalition could unite behind Huckabee and he could gain a percentage point or two from Paul’s supporters. Others will stay home. They didn’t come out in Virginia in the numbers I expected. On the other hand, a few diehard Paul supporters still hold out hope. Some may think that a vote for Huckabee is a vote for a brokered convention.

Texas is a must win for both candidates. McCain needs Texas to wrap up the nomination sooner than later. If McCain takes Texas, then it’s over. Texas will be Huckabee’s “last stand.” Campaign contributions shot up after last week’s big wins and guess where he’s spending most of this money? But if Huckabee takes Texas, then it gets interesting again. After March 4, most of the contests swing toward Huckabee’s natural territory.

Here’s the revamped scenario for a brokered convention. I’ll continue to track the mathematical possibility of blocking McCain — as crazy and quixotic as it may seem to some. The blue states can still go to McCain, but Huckabee needs to take all the red states and two or three of the purple states.

Red states are “must wins” for Huckabee.Blues states are likely to go to McCain.Purple states — Huckabee needs two or three of these

Your comments are welcome!

Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (DVD)

Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology?

This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer.

The Real Jesus: A Defense of the Historicity and Divinity of Christ (DVD)

Who is the Real Jesus?

Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the “historical Jesus” — a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin.

Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regrettably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.

The Real Jesus explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views. Presented in ten parts — perfect for individual, family and classroom study — viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history — “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus.

The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)

Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation?

Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!

Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.

Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)

The Abortion Matrix: Defeating Child Sacrifice and the Culture of Death (DVD)

Is there a connection between pagan religion and the abortion industry?

This powerful presentation traces the biblical roots of child sacrifice and then delves into the social, political and cultural fall-out that this sin against God and crime against humanity has produced in our beleaguered society.

Conceived as a sequel and update to the 1988 classic, The Massacre of Innocence, the new title, The Abortion Matrix, is entirely fitting. It not only references abortion’s specific target – the sacred matrix where human beings are formed in the womb in the very image of God, but it also implies the existence of a conspiracy, a matrix of seemingly disparate forces that are driving this holocaust.

The occult activity surrounding the abortion industry is exposed with numerous examples. But are these just aberrations, bizarre yet anomalous examples of abortionists who just happen to have ties to modern day witchcraft? Or is this representative of something deeper, more sinister and even endemic to the entire abortion movement?

As the allusion to the film of over a decade ago suggests, the viewer may learn that things are not always as they appear to be. The Abortion Matrix reveals the reality of child-killing and strikes the proper moral chord to move hearts to fulfill the biblical responsibility to rescue those unjustly sentenced to death and to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 24:11,12; 31:8,9).

Massacre of Innocence (DVD)

Exposing The Occult Roots of Abortion

This presentation looks at the spiritual roots of abortion and exposes the myths surrounding child killing. Little known historical facts about abortion and how they relate to modern feminism are presented logically and accurately. Has been effective in converting many to a pro-life position.

Massacre of Innocence goes where no pro-life presentation has gone before in “tearing the lid off abortion” to reveal the spiritual realities we must battle if we will bring an end to this crime. The presentation is absorbing, fast-paced, informative and incredibly devastating to any attempt to justify abortion.

“… an extraordinary statement … a powerfully articulate presentation about what abortion really means, and why a great and moral nation like the United States must not allow the slaughter to continue.”— Congressman Robert K. Dornan

The Abortion Matrix:
Defeating Child Sacrifice and the Culture of Death is a 195-minute presentation that traces the biblical roots of child sacrifice and then delves into the social, political and cultural fall-out that this sin against God has produced. You can order this series on DVD, read the complete script and view clips on-line...continued ...